RICHMOND, Ky. - Coach Larry Joe Inman's Eastern Kentucky University women's basketball team hosts a four-team showcase of collegiate action this weekend at McBrayer Arena when College of Charleston, Wofford and Morehead State join EKU for two days of basketball.

The Comfort Suites Tipoff Classic gets underway Saturday at 5:30 p.m. when Morehead State plays College of Charleston, to be followed at 7:45 p.m. by the EKU Lady Colonels' contest with Wofford College.

Sunday, at 2:00 p.m., Morehead State takes on Wofford College, followed at 4:15 p.m. by the Eastern Kentucky-College of Charleston matchup.

"We're looking forward to two good days of basketball," said Inman who is beginning his 12^th season at EKU. "I'm sure our fans like to see teams from other parts of the country and other conferences and this will be a great opportunity for them to take a look at two different teams than they normally get to see."

Eastern returns four starters among eight lettermen from last season's 11-16 team, including junior All-OVC forward Charlotte Sizemore and senior point guard Marla Gearhart.

Sizemore scored 17.6 points per contest last season to lead EKU and finish third in the Ohio Valley Conference in scoring, while Gearhart was leading the team in scoring with her 14.2 per game average before injuring her knee at Louisville and having to sit out the remainder of the season after just eight games last year.

EKU put its 1999-2000 team on display for the fans Tuesday night as the Lady Colonels impressively dominated the Sports Reach Crusaders, 120-74, in a pre-season exhibition game.

Sizemore and Gearhart led the EKU point parade, as expected, with 23 and 22 points, respectively. Junior center Candice Finley added 14 points and 14 rebounds, while junior substitute forward Susan Hatcher also produced a "double-double" with 13 points and 11 boards.

"We knew right after our first practice back in October that these young ladies had made the commitment to lay it on the line every second they were on the floor and that's what happened in that exhibition game against Sports Reach," said Inman.

"The surprising thing was how well we played right from the opening tip. They went full-speed all the way and did some nice things out there. Don't get me wrong. There's room for improvement, but, as a coaching staff, we were very pleased at what we saw Tuesday night," Inman added.

Gearhart was particularly impressive in her return from knee surgery, as she hit 7-9 from the field, 4-4 three-pointers, 4-4 free throws, had four assists and four steals, while grabbing three rebounds in 27 minutes of playing time.